Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli, known as Nida Fazli (12 October 1938 – 8 February 2016), was a prominent Indian Hindi and Urdu poet, lyricist and dialogue writer. He was awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

in 2013 by the government of India for his contribution to literature.

Early life and background

Born in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, into a

Kashmiri Muslim Kashmiri Muslims are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Islam and are native to the Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir. Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has bo ...

family, Nida Fazli grew up in

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, where he attended school and subsequently studied English literature. His father was also a very well known

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, his parents and other family members migrated to Pakistan. He however decided to stay back in India. This happened one year after Fazli had moved from Gwalior to Mumbai (in 1964) to earn a living. This departure of his parents was an epochal event in his life, the pain and repercussions of which would remain with him all his life. Fazli was married twice. His second wife was Malti Joshi. They became the parents of a daughter, Tehreer.

Career

Nida Fazli in Chandigarh-3 (28-Jan-2014) 04

While still young, Fazli was passing by a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple where a

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

singer was singing a composition of

Surdas Surdas (IAST: Sūr, Devanagari: सूर) was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer, who was known for his works written in praise of Krishna, the supreme lord. He was a Vaishnava devotee of Lord Krishna, and he was also a ...

about

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

sharing her sorrow with her maids at being separated from her beloved

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. The poetic beauty of the ''Pad'', relating to the close rapport and bonding between human beings, inspired Nida to begin writing poems. During that period, he felt that there were limitations in Urdu poetry. He absorbed the essence of

Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

and

Ghalib Mirza Beg Asadullah Khan (Urdu, fa, مرزا بیگ اسد اللہ خان; 27 December 1797 – 15 February 1869) also known as Mirza Ghalib (Urdu, fa}) was an Urdu and Persian language, Persian shayar (poet), poet of the 19th century Mughal Em ...

to express what he intended. He was fascinated by the lyrical mood of Meera and Kabir and widened his knowledge of poetry by studying T. S. Eliot,

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

and

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

Nida Fazli in Chandigarh-5 (28-Jan-2014) 01

He moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in search of a job in 1964. In the early days of his career, he wrote in ''

Dharmayug ''Dharmyug'' was a Hindi pictorial weekly published by The Times Group, The Times of India Group from year 1949 till 1993. History The magazine was originally published by a Dalmia Group, Dalmia press in Bombay from 1949, just after independen ...

'' and ''

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

'' . His poetic style attracted the notice of filmmakers and writers of Hindi and Urdu literature. He was often invited to

Mushaira ''Mushaira'' ( ur, , Mušā'ira) is a poetic symposium. It is an event (called ''mehfil'', Mushairi) where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is part of the Culture of North India, Pakistan and the Deccan, particularly among the Hy ...

s, the prestigious recitation sessions of one's own poetry. He became known among readers and

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

singers for his elegant presentation and exclusive use of colloquial language for ghazals, dohaas and

nazm ''Nazm'' () is a major part of Urdu and Sindhi poetry that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose-style poems. is a significant genre of Urdu and Sindhi poetry; the other one is known as ''ghazal'' (). is significantly ...

s, while avoiding ornate

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

imagery and compound words to simplify his poetry. He wrote the famous couplet: 'Duniya jise kehte hain jaadu kaa Khilona hai Mil jaaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai'. Some of his famous film songs include ''Aa bhi jaa'' ( Sur), ''Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein'' (

Aap To Aise Na The ''Aap To Aise Na The'' (meaning-you were not like this) is a 1980 Hindi movie directed by Ambrish Sangal, starring Raj Babbar, Deepak Parashar, Ranjeeta Kaur, Madan Puri and Om Shivpuri. The movie is still remembered for its song "Tu Is Tarah S ...

) and ''Hosh waalon ko khabar Kya'' (''

Sarfarosh ''Sarfarosh'' () is a 1999 Indian action drama film written, produced and directed by John Matthew Matthan and starring Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Bendre and Mukesh Rishi. John started working on ''Sarfarosh'' in 1992. Seven years ...

''). He wrote essays critical of contemporary poets of the sixties in his book ''Mulaqatein'' which outraged poets including

Sahir Ludhianvi Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980), popularly known by his pen name (takhallus) Sahir Ludhianvi, was an Indian poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described ...

Ali Sardar Jafri Ali Sardar Jafri (29 November 1913 – 1 August 2000) was an Indian writer of Urdu language. He was also a poet, critic and film lyricist. Biography Early life and education Ali Sardar Jafri was born in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, where he sp ...

and

Kaifi Azmi Kaifi Azmi (born Athar Husain Rizvi; 14 January 1919 – 10 May 2002) was an Indian Urdu poet. He is remembered as the one who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jaun Elia and others he participated ...

. As a result, he was boycotted in some poetic sessions. His career improved when

Kamal Amrohi Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet. His Hindi films include '' Mahal'' (1949), ''Pakeezah'' (19 ...

, a filmmaker, approached him. The original songwriter

Jan Nisar Akhtar Jan Nisar Akhtar (18 February 1914 – 19 August 1976) was an Indian poet of Urdu ghazals and nazms, and a part of the Progressive Writers' Movement, who was also a lyricist for Bollywood. He was son of Muztar Khairabadi and great grandson ...

working on the film '' Razia Sultan'' (1983) had died before completing the project. Nida wrote the final two songs and attracted other Hindi filmmakers. His celebrated lyrics were also used in ''Aap to aise na the'', ''

Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin ''Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Sudhir Mishra. The film stars Tara Deshpande and Nirmal Pandey, with the entire plot taking place over a single night. The film is based on a story written ...

'' (1996) and ''Gudiya''. He wrote the title song of TV serials like ''Sailaab'', '' Neem ka Ped'', ''Jaane Kya Baat Hui'' and '' Jyoti''. The composition "Koi Akelaa Kahaan" is another popular composition sung by

Kavita Krishnamurthy Sharada Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Kavita Krishnamurthy or Kavita Subramaniam, is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded 50,000 songs in 45 various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Rajasthani, Bhojp ...

. His ghazals and other compositions are sung by notable artists of the day. He teamed up with

Jagjit Singh Jagjit Singh (born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman; 8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was an Indian composer, singer and musician. He composed and sang in numerous languages and is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian c ...

in 1994 to bring an album named ''Insight'', which got appreciation for its soulful poetry and music. Shortly before his death he wrote columns for BBC Hindi website on various contemporary issues and literature.

Mirza Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

's works were often mentioned by him.

Style

Nida Fazli is a poet of various moods and to him the creative sentiment and inner urge are the sources of poetry. He thinks that the feeling of a poet is similar to an artist: like a painter or a musician. In contrast he found lyric writing a mechanical job as he had to fulfil the demands of the script and the director. Later he accepted the practical necessity of money which comes from lyric writing and helps one to ponder on creative work. He published his first collection of Urdu poetry in 1969. Childhood imagery persistently reflects in his poetry as elements of

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

. Primary themes which run through his poetry are contradictions in life, the search for purpose, nuances of human relationships, differences between practice and preaching, and the groping for that which is lost.

Contribution towards communal harmony

Nida Fazli disagreed with the partition of India and has spoken out against the communal riots, politicians and fundamentalism. During the riots of December 1992 he had to take shelter in his friend's house due to security concerns. He was honoured with the National Harmony Award for writing on communal harmony. He wrote 24 books in Urdu, Hindi and

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

— some of which are assigned as school textbooks in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. Some of his works are also present in

National Council of Educational Research and Training The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India which was established in 1961 as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Registration Act. Its head ...

Hindi textbooks which millions of students study. He received the Mir Taqi Mir award for his autobiographical novel ''Deewaron Ke Bich'' from the Government of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

Death

Fazli died of a heart attack on 8 February 2016. He was aged 77 when he died. His death occurred on the 75th birth anniversary of the Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, with whom he worked for many songs.

List of works

Poetry collections

* ''Lafzun Ka Pul'' * ''Mor Naach'' * ''Aankh Aur Khawaab Ke Darmayan'' * ''Khoya Huwa Sa Kuch'' * ''Shehar Mere Sath Chal'' * ''Zindagi Ki Tarhap'' * ''Sab Ka Hai Maahtaab'' * ''Duniya Jise Kehte Hain'' * ''Shehar Mein Gavaun (Kuliyaat)''

Prose Collections

* ''Mulaqatein'' * ''Deewaron Ke Beech'' (autobiography part 1) * ''Deewaron Ke Par'' (autobiography part 2) * ''Chehre'' * ''Dunya Mere Aage''

Awards

* 1998

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

in Urdu for Khoya Hua Sa Kuchh (Poetry collection) * 2003 Star Screen Award for Best Lyricist for ''Sur'' * 2003 Bollywood Movie Award - Best Lyricist for ''Aa Bhi Ja'' from ''Sur'' * 2013

; the Government of India.

Filmography

As lyricist

* ''

'' (1980) آپ تو ایسے نہ تھے * '' Red Rose'' (1980) * ''

Nakhuda Nakhuda (when Anglicised, also written Nakhodeh, Nakhudah, Nakhooda, Nakhoda, Nakhodi) is a term originating from the Persian language which literally means Captain. Derived from nāv boat (from Old Persian) + khudā master, from Middle Persian khu ...

'' (1981) ناخُدا * ''

Harjaee ''Harjaee'' (meaning disloyal, unfaithful) is a 1981 Indian Bollywood film directed by Ramesh Behl. It stars Shammi Kapoor, Mala Sinha, Randhir Kapoor and Tina Munim in pivotal roles. Ajay Nath comes from a wealthy family, and is prone to pla ...

'' (1981) ہر جائی * '' Anokha Bandhan'' (1982) انوکھا بندھن * '' Razia Sultan'' (1983) رضیہ سُلطان * '' Vijay'' (1988) وِجے * ''

Sajda Sajda is a Ghazal album released by HMV and jointly collaborated by Jagjit Singh and Lata Mangeshkar. This album was released in 1991 shortly after the demise of Jagjit Singh's son Vivek. This album was released as a double album consisting of 16 ...

'' * ''

'' (1996) اِس رات کی صُبح نہیں * '' Tamanna'' (1997) - ''Ghar se masjid hai'' * ''

'' (1999) - ہوش والوں کو خبر کیا * '' Sur – The Melody of Life'' (2002) - (Aa bhee jaa, ai subha aa bhee jaa)' آ بھی جا اے صُبح آ بھی جا * '' Dev'' (2004) * ''

Yatra ( sa, यात्रा, 'journey', 'procession'), in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated ...

'' (2006) یاترہ

As dialogue writer

* '' Dev'' (2004) (co-writer) * ''

'' (2006)

References

External links

*
Nida Fazli at Kavita Kosh

Nida Fazli Ghazals

Ek Achhe Papa Kaise Bane?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fazli, Nida 1938 births 2016 deaths Urdu-language poets from India Screenwriters from Delhi Kashmiri people Hindi-language lyricists Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Indian male screenwriters Urdu-language lyricists Poets from Delhi 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian male writers